Catching the F**k Up With ASAP Rocky (Video & Download)

Welcome back to Catching the Fuck Up, my completely inconsistent series dedicated to artists starting to get some attention. They might just become the next big thing (like when I covered The Weeknd) but probably won't. Today we turn our attention to ASAP Rocky.

While 99% of America still has no idea who Rocky is, the young man's become a seemingly overnight sensation (at least on the interwebs). Long story short he's a Harlem emcee who's adopted a heavily Southern, and more specifically Houston, style that chops and screws NYC hip-hop, a juxtaposition that cool people seem to find very cool. (And that inspired me to have Brando write this article.)

"Purple Swag" is really the video that first put him on:



I hate to be lazy, but honesty the homey David D. over on the Smoking Section already broke down his thoughts on Rocky and I couldn't agree more, so I'm just going to get my quote on.

"...let me say that I dig Rocky’s music. He seems to have a compelling story to tell and his music is raw, grimy and heavy-hitting. However, if ASAP Rocky were from the South, he’d be just another trap rapper that spits about purple drink and hood sh*t. It’s not to say that he’s not quality. He just doesn’t stand out from Pill, Yo Gotti, Starlito or Trouble. And if he were from Atlanta or Houston, ASAP would be just another Southern n*gga with a story to tell."

In other words, it's not that he's really doing anything original, it's just original for a NYC emcee, which kinda sorta makes it original. To me that makes him a rapper who could easily become a staple of the mid-level scene, but once the novelty wears off I just don't see his music being strong enough to truly earn him a large scale following.

Two more joints, "Trilla" and "" are below. Let's see if RefinedHype Nation agrees.